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OFFICIAL PROBE OF CANNERIES SHOCKS N. Y. STATE
By Harry Burton.
Albany, N. Y., Nov. 29. "The
state of New York is going to
stop putting the souls and lives olf
Tts good wofrnen and little children
Into" cans of vegetables? it is go-
i ing to make its capitalists spend
Just" a liftle more of their wealth
on humanity, and just a little less
on luxury. And it'sgoing to do
it right away, and by the great
majesty of the law,; if God will
give me the strength to force the
issue through."
This is the declaration of State
Senator Robert A. Wagner, head
of the New York state factory in
vestigating commission. It, was
"made today at the hearing regard
ing the conditions existing in the
canping industry in the empire
state. It came as a 'direct result
of the findings of several social
investigators. One of these, whose
work was brought to the atten
tion of the commission, is Miss
'Mary Boyle O'Reilly, who has
- just finished an expose of the
methods of New York state can-
nine kiners. especially for the
readers of this paper.
"Everything, practically, that
has been said of the awful condi
tions in this work are but tool
frue,y charged Senator Wagner,
'Our two official investigators,'
enas L. Potter and Miss Mary'
Elizabeth Chamberlain, a 09 Vas
sar graduate, have convinced us
fully of that by their reports just
given out at the meeting of this
toard. We are proceeding im
inediately to draw up a resolution
to present to the New York- legis
lature, the first day it convenes in
January.
"This resolution will, in the
main, embody these three recom
mendations: "That the state shall limit, by
iron clad statute, th,e number of
hours employes may work, even
in the rush season of the canning
business..
"That the state shall fix a min
imum wage standard, below
which no person shall be allowed
to work in the canning factories,
regardless of whether that work
is 'looked upon as play' or not.
"That the state shall also regu
late the conditions under which
canning employes labor, paying
particular attention to the matter
of hygiene and sanitation."
There is little doubt that Sen
ator Wagner's cpmmission will
accomplish these ends. Its mem
bers are, in the main, Democrats,
and so is the new state legisla
ture. Gov.-elect Sulzer not only is
a Democrat of Democrats, but
stands strongly for every progres
sive measure that comes under his
notice. So the resolutions, it is
predicted generally, will find lit
tle difficulty in being crystallized
into law before the sun shines on
nex! summer's crop of beans and
corn and peas.
The reports of the commission's
two official investigators, Zenas
L. Potter and Miss Chamberlain,
afford even ampler demonstra
tion of the terrible conditions, hu
man and mechanical, under which
some canned food is prepared for
our unconscious mouths, as
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